About this episode:
The stage: the town of Alton in southern Illinois. The date of the act committed: the 7th of November, 1837. On that Tuesday, an angry mob murdered Elijah Lovejoy, the Presbyterian minister who was the founder of the Illinois State Anti-Slave Society. Two days later, some 500 miles east in Hudson Ohio, a church congregation held a memorial service to honor the murdered activist. Owen Brown opened the gathering with a long, tearful prayer. At its conclusion, there was a long silence. Then, in the back, Owen Brown’s son rose and, stiffly, raised his right hand, then vowed, “Here before God, in the presence of these witnesses, I consecrate my life to the destruction of slavery.” It was 37-year-old John Brown’s first public statement on the inflammatory issue and, as time would tell, his message and actions would be ominous. And yet, on that Tuesday and in that service, this was John Brown of Hudson, Ohio. It would take time and events to fully create the John Brown of “Bleeding” Kansas and Harpers Ferry. From crusader to Old Testament avenging angel, this is his story.
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Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode:
Gerrit Smith
John Brown, Jr.
William Lloyd Garrison
Frederick Douglass
John B. Floyd
Watson Brown
Get The Guide:
Want to learn more about the Civil War? A great place to start is Fred's guide, The Civil War: A History of the War between the States from Workman Publishing. The guide is in its 9th printing.
Producer: Dan Irving
May We Suggest - Bullets And Bandages: The Aid Stations and Field Hospitals at Gettysburg
33 - "The Union Is Dissolved!" - South Carolina Secedes
32 - The Election of 1860
31 - Mr. Lincoln's Pilgrimage to the Banks of Antietam Creek
30 - "No Quarter!" - The Border War Between Kansas and Missouri
29 - The New York City Draft Riots
28 - "Useless! Useless!" - The Flight of John Wilkes Booth
27 - April 14th, 1865
26 - Clash In The Ozarks - Pea Ridge
25 - Assassination from the Bottom of the Sea - The Hunley
24 - Misery at Murfreesboro - the Battle of Stones River
23 - Chattanooga - Part 2
22 - Chattanooga - Part 1
21 - "I Wish I Could Forget Myself" - Mary Ann Todd Lincoln
20 - In The Shadows: Spies, Raiders, and Intelligence Gathering
19 - "Mighty Events Are On The Wing" - Second Manassas
18 - "Hell Has Busted" - The Battle Of The Crater
17 - "His Name Might Be Audacity" - The Seven Days Campaign
16 - Hell On Earth: The Battle Of The Wilderness
15 - Shiloh
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